Mobile broadband internet use soars in 2009
July 23, 2009
Americans increased their usage of mobile broadband internet in 2009, more frequently using laptops and handheld devices like iPhones and for email, web surfing and social networking, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
About 56 percent of adult Americans have accessed broadband internet by wireless means in 2009, 39 percent saying they have done so with a laptop and 32 percent with a handheld device.
This level of mobile broadband internet use is up by one-third since December 2007, when 24 percent of Americans had used the internet on a mobile device. On a daily basis, 19 percent of Americans said they use the internet on a mobile device, up 73 percent in the 16 months since the 2007 survey.
"Mobile access strengthens the three pillars of online engagement: connecting with others, satisfying information queries and sharing content with others," said John B. Horrigan, associate director of the Pew Internet Project.
Surprisingly, African Americans - a group whose access to wireline broadband internet is much lower than other groups - connect to mobile internet more frequently than other users.
On an average day, 29 percent of African Americans go online with a handheld, one-and-a-half times the national average.
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